


Cecilos oneshots

by SpacedustAndBoxes



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Angst, Awkward Carlos, Canon-Typical Violence, Carlos is a Dork, Carlos is a Good Boyfriend, Cecil Is a Good Boyfriend, Cecil is a Dork, Cecilos Fluff, Fire, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, One Year Later, Sickfic, Spoilers, Stargazing, Storms, Violence, cecil is sick, episode 25 spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-19 13:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20658188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpacedustAndBoxes/pseuds/SpacedustAndBoxes
Summary: Fluff and angst, mostly. For everyone's favorite radio gays.





	1. Radio Silence

It was a quiet day in Night Vale. Nothing obviously dangerous was going on. Even work at the lab had slowed down quite a bit. The radio was on, which wasn't something that happened when they were doing important things because it could be a distraction. Someone shifted through the various stations. Everything was either nonsense, or static. 

Personally, Carlos was fine with static. It could be a calming sound at times. And it seemed like that was what his colleague had settled on. A station playing nothing but static. Until he noticed how his colleague was smirking. He looked at the radio. What station was it on?

As he realized it, he sighed softly. Of course. The station that had been picked was Cecil's show, which would be starting in a few minutes. Carlos secretly loved his boyfriend's show, for a number of reasons, but he always felt a bit embarrassed when Cecil talked about him. Still, since they had started dating, he had set up something to record the broadcasts so he could listen when he got home.

The static went on for at least five minutes longer than it should have, even though time wasn't bugging out as far as anyone could tell. Carlos was slightly concerned, but he tried not to let it show. He tried, but... he couldn't shake the feeling something wasn't right.

Fortunately, there was soon the low, buzzing hum of a microphone being turned on.

"E-existence is... um... it's a thing... Welcome to... N-Night Vale..."

Carlos frowned. Even the other scientists seemed to have caught on that something was wrong. Cecil never stuttered, and he definitely never sounded that uncertain of himself. His usually calm and steady voice had been shaky. Almost... weak.

"The... um... the S-Secret Sheriff Police- uh... I mean the Sheriff's Secret Police... has asked me to i-inform you about the... the... something..." There was a heavy sigh from the radio host. "...I a-apologize, listeners... I'm... not exactly at my b-best today... and..." His voice became distant. "...it doesn't help... the station is... sp-spinning... is it supposed to be...? ...my head..." He muttered something incoherent, and then there was the sound of a heavy thud, followed by the sound of someone rushing around.

"I apologize, listeners." Came an unfamiliar female voice. "Technical difficulties. For now, please enjoy the weather!"

Carlos was growing more and more worried. What had that sound been? Why had the radio station been spinning? Something was definitely wrong, but he didn't want to overreact. So he decided to wait it out and see what would happen after the weather. The song was soon over, and Carlos was listening intently.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and otherwise," came the female voice again, "Intern Sara here. I can only offer my sincerest apologies. The radio station is not spinning, and never was. It appears our usual radio host, Cecil, has fainted. And since today's reports are written in a number of languages, all of which are ancient and none of which I can read, Night Vale Community Radio will have to go to radio silence for the rest of the day. I apologize for any inconvenience."

There was the click and pop of the mic turning off, and then the radio went back to static.

Carlos jumped up, nearly knocking over his chair. The fear must have shown in his expression, because several people immediately just told him to go. He would have gone anyway, without their encouragement.

He raced to his car, and got to the radio station as fast as humanly possible. When he reached the station, he immediately ran inside. The top of intern Sara's head could just barely be seen in the radio booth. He quickly went inside.

Sara was kneeling beside Cecil, who appeared to be unconscious and was very pale. 

Sara looked up at Carlos as he came in, moving away from Cecil. "I don't know what to do. He just sort of keeled over."

Carlos didn't bother talking to her yet. His main concern was his boyfriend. Fortunately, because the lab could be a dangerous place, Carlos knew just a little first aid. He checked Cecil's pulse, and was relieved to find that it was steady, and strong. But just from doing that, he could already tell Cecil was burning up.

"Cecil? Cecil, baby, can you hear me?" He asked worriedly, gently tapping the other male's face in hopes that some sort of contact would help wake him up. In truth, he had no idea what he was doing. "Wake up... please, please wake up..."

Whatever he was doing, it worked. Cecil's kaleidoscopic eyes opened. They were a dull, pale grey now, instead of the usual vibrant purple.

"What happened...?" He mumbled.

Carlos gently helped him sit up. "You fainted, love. Take it easy. I'm going to get you home, okay?"

Cecil shook his head. "I have to-"

"The show is already on radio silence." Sara interrupted. "Nobody would expect you to report after this. Even Station Management seemed concerned. I checked with them."

"See? There's nothing you have to do." Carlos said softly. "Now, I'm going to get you out of here and take care of you. End of story. No arguing. Is that okay?"

Cecil sighed. "I pr-probably would argue... if I didn't feel so pathetic..."

"I'll take that as a yes." Normally he wouldn't be so stubborn about wanting to make someone go somewhere, but Cecil clearly needed help. So Carlos got up and then helped Cecil up. Cecil had to lean on him to keep his balance. He didn't mind.

"I'm sorry..." Cecil mumbled.

"For what?"

"This..."

"Sweetheart, you're clearly sick. That's not something you should be sorry for. It happens to everyone sometimes."

"Usually I can still report when I'm sick..."

He sighed as he got the other in to the car. "Cecil, you literally fainted. You are not reporting today. That's final."

Cecil frowned, but said nothing.

Carlos drove Cecil home and managed to get him inside. "Do you have any idea what you could be sick with?"

Cecil shook his head. "I wish I did..."

"That's okay," Carlos said gently. "...considering some of the 'health tips' I've heard you read on your show, I don't really trust any of the doctors here. But if you're not feeling better by tomorrow, I'll find one."

"Okay..."

He took Cecil to his room, and got him to lay down. "Do you have a thermometer or something?"

Cecil nodded. "In the cupboard under the sink."

By the time Carlos had found the thermometer and returned to Cecil, the other male had fallen asleep. Carlos gently took Cecil's temperature, and nearly had a heart attack. 109 degrees. Cecil should have been dead!

As Carlos tried to ignore the shock, he checked Cecil's pulse and breathing. Thankfully, his boyfriend was still very much alive. Maybe being sick was different in Night Vale too? That would sort of make sense, considering almost everything else was. Still, Carlos wasn't going to leave Cecil alone any time soon.

He takes a second to try to remember what the hell you're supposed to do when someone is sick.

~ 

When Cecil wakes, the first thing he's aware of is something cold on his head. And then the fact that he isn't in the radio station. Where is he? He looks around, recognizing his bedroom. But he has the feeling he isn't alone. It's soon revealed that he's right, as Carlos soon re-enters the room.

"Hey, you're awake," Carlos points out. His voice is soft. Gentle. A tone that Cecil had never really heard from... well, anyone, really. While he greatly wished the circumstances were different, part of him likes hearing his lover's voice like that. Gentle. That was uncommon in Night Vale.

"Are any of us ever truly awake...?" Cecil often got existential like this on his show. But he was sleepy and feverish and barely making sense right now. Just saying whatever came to mind.

Carlos ignored the question. "How are you feeling,?"

"I don't know..." Cecil mumbled. "...none of it makes sense..."

"I'm guessing you don't get sick very often?"

"Rarely." He confirmed.

"You have a fever. 109."

"That's n-not too bad..." he was confused by the fear in Carlos's eyes.

"Do you realize you would be dead anywhere else?"

"...no." His voice was muffled by a yawn.

Carlos sighed heavily. "...go back to sleep, honey."

"What about you...?"

"I'm going to stay here and make sure you don't actually die."

He shook his head slowly. "Don't..."

"It's not up for discussion. Someone needs to take care of you."

Cecil sighed. "I don't want you to see me like this..."

"Well it's too late for that now. I'm worried about you, Cecil. I'll probably drive myself crazy worrying if I don't know that you're okay."

Cecil frowned. "Don't go crazy..."

"Figuratively. But I'm going to take care of you. End of discussion."

Cecil was going to argue, but he yawned again.

"Come on, baby. Go back to sleep," Carlos told him softly.

Cecil curled up, and looked up at Carlos pathetically. He silently communicated what he wanted, though the way he bit his lip slightly made it clear he felt guilty about it.

Carlos just smiled. His expression was... understanding. That was good, right? He sat down beside Cecil, gently pulling him in to a warm, loving embrace.

Cecil smiled sleepily, slightly nuzzling Carlos. "I love you..."

"I love you too, Cecil." Carlos said quietly. "Now get some sleep."

It wasn't long before Cecil did just that, drifting off in to fever dreams, just barely aware of the sound of Carlos humming softly.


	2. Up In Smoke

It was an average day in Night Vale. The sun was screaming, the birds were chirping, and the day had passed with only a few fatalities. Cecil was smiling and calm as he read his daily reports. Nothing was out of place, and he put on the weather as the setting sun painted the horizon in gold and bloody red. As the song played, he thought of.. well, his usual daydreams. The possibilities of the future, mostly. He and Carlos had been dating for quite a while now, and it made him happy to know that a future with him seemed secure. Little did he know...

~

The lab had been busy and chaotic all day, with the recent discovery of what appeared to be a plant that ate human flesh. Between running tests on said plant and trying not to get eaten, it was a busy day. And Carlos loved every moment of it. Loud, chaotic, and just a little dangerous. The way a lab should be. Nothing suspicious or out of place. Except for the faint smell of smoke.

"Hey!" Carlos shouted over the chaos. "Just-" he never got to finish his sentence before there was a blinding light and a wave of heat that was hotter than hell itself.

~

After the weather, Cecil returned to his reports for a while. But there wasn't much more to report on. The show was drawing to a close.

"Goodnight, Night Vale. G-"

He was interrupted by a solemn-faced intern handing him a slip of paper.

"Oh. My apologies, listeners. It appears I have some breaking news. There has been an-" his voice faltered as he read, taking on a tone of fear. "An... explosion... a-at the science lab..." Cecil took a shaky breath. "I'm sure everything is alright. Um... what else does this paper say... um... it's... it's a major fire..." he could see the flames over the rooftops, and knocked over the microphone as a feeling overwhelmed him and he ran outside.

He raced to the burning lab, tears streaming down his face. Despite the crowd of strangers trying to hold him back, Cecil fought his way to the burning building. There was a small group of survivors, but... no sign of Carlos. Everything became a blur. Someone told him Carlos was still inside, and that was it. Cecil charged in to the burning building.

"CARLOS?! CARLOS?!!" He called desperately. It wasn't long before he found his lover, who was trapped under some burning wreckage and just barely clinging to life.

~

It was at least an hour before the Night Vale Fire Department was able to put out the fire. There wasn't enough left to know what had caused it. And there, in the wreckage, we're the badly burned and scarcely recognizable bodies of Cecil and Carlos.

Having been unable to free his boyfriend from the wreckage, Cecil had given up. He knew that even if it was possible to get Carlos out, there was no way the scientist would survive. And so, Cecil had found a gap and squirmed under, so he was close to the dying Carlos.

Tortured by the heat, the two clung to each other and, as they died together while their tears were burned away by the fire, they whispered in raspy voices about all their plans for the future. Plans that, sadly, went up in smoke.

What was left of them was buried, together because everyone knew that was what they would have wanted. Night Vale was never the same. It never would be.


	3. Thunderous Night

The rain had started when Carlos had been about halfway home, and soon it had become an incredible downpour. Rain was uncommon in this desert, but when it did come, it came in intense storms such as this one. By the time he got home, thunder was rolling and lightning split the sky. He ran as fast as he could from his car to the house, trying to avoid getting drenched. He ultimately failed at this. As Carlos entered the house, he couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong. All the lights were on, and a faint whimpering could be heard.

"...Cecil?" Carlos called quietly.

"I-In here..." came a shaky response.

Carlos went into the bedroom, where the only sign of Cecil was a vaguely human-shaped lump curled up under the blankets.

"Cecil?" Carlos's voice was soft. "Are you alright?"

Cecil peeked out. "Yeah, I'm fi-"

Another crack of thunder boomed through the air, and Cecil just about jumped out of his skin.

Carlos smiled as he quickly figured it out. "Aww. Honey, are you afraid of storms?"

"N-no!" Cecil squeaked. "I'm not! I just-" 

Again, Cecil yelped as he was interrupted by even more thunder.

Carlos sat beside him. "Relax, Cecil. It's just a storm. You're safe, I promise." He gently put his hand on Cecil's back. "Come here."

Still shaking a little, Cecil quietly crawled into Carlos's lap, and Carlos proceeded to wrap the blanket around both of them.

"There. You're okay, see? I know the storm is loud, but it can't hurt us."

Cecil whimpered softly, hiding his face in Carlos's shoulder. "I... I know... It just... f-freaks me out..."

Carlos gently nuzzled him. "I understand, love." He held Cecil close, in a manner that was almost protective. All he wanted was to make his precious Cecil feel safe.

Cecil clung to Carlos. He did, in fact, feel much safer with Carlos's arms around him. Or at least, he did until there was a brilliant flash of lightning, followed by a massive thunder crash, that knocked the power out. At that, Cecil cried out in fear and hugged Carlos even tighter.

Carlos lightly rubbed Cecil's back. "Shh. Relax, love. It's okay. Everything will be okay, I promise."

Cecil looked up at him, his colour-changing eyes tinted a fearful royal blue. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be sorry, Cecil. Fear usually doesn't respond to logic. You have nothing to be sorry for." He softly kissed Cecil's forehead.

Cecil sighed. As much as the storm scared him, he could feel Carlos's protective affection slowly calming him down. Fear gradually gave in to a dizzying sense of uselessness. The good kind of uselessness. The storm didn't matter anymore. What mattered was Carlos's hands on his back and in his hair, and the sweet nothings being mumbled to him. Cecil slowly relaxed and closed his eyes, snuggling up to Carlos.

Eventually, the pair fell asleep waiting for the storm to pass.


	4. Starlight

Carlos woke in the dead of night, feeling cold. Something, or rather, someone, was missing. Cecil's usual warm embrace had been replaced by empty air, and Carlos was immediately concerned. It wasn't like Cecil to leave in the middle of the night. Curious, and somewhat worried about his lover, Carlos quickly got up and, stretching a little, went looking for his Cecil.

He wandered through the silent house, the slightest pricks of fear going up his spine.

"Cecil...?" He called quietly. "Honey, where are you?"

Carlos slowly made his way through the house, but it wasn't until he heard the soft scuffling above him that he knew what was going on. Smiling a little to himself, Carlos went outside and climbed up onto the roof.

Sure enough, Cecil was curled up on the roof. Carlos carefully made his way over to Cecil.

"Hey honey..."

Cecil looked up at Carlos with a tired expression. "Hey..."

Carlos curled up beside him. "Can't sleep?"

Cecil nodded slightly. "Yeah..."

Carlos gently put his arms around Cecil. He knew that Cecil struggled with insomnia, and it wasn't uncommon for the two of them to stargaze until Cecil felt more tired.

Cecil smiled and leaned back against Carlos. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I woke up on my own and when I didn't see you I got worried."

"Oh... I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, love," Carlos said softly.

Cecil smiled a little as he felt Carlos's fingers lace into his short hair. "...Carlos?"

"Yes?"

He hesitated, already feeling guilty for asking, but he managed to voice his question anyway. "...can you talk to me?"

"About what?"

Carlos's voice was so soft, so understanding, and Cecil felt a warm tug in his heart. "Anything. Anything at all. Just... I want to hear your voice."

Carlos smiled and kissed Cecil's cheek. "Did you know that some of the stars we can see in the sky right now are already burned out and dead?"

"Really?"

"Mmhm. But they're so far away that we can't tell from here."

"Wow..." Cecil's voice was an awed, exhausted whisper.

Carlos nuzzled Cecil, hoping to lull the other to a state where he'd be more willing to sleep. "People have been reading the stars for centuries, finding shapes in them and then making up stories about those shapes. I've always found it fascinating."

Cecil smiled. "I've always liked the stars..."

Carlos paused for a second. "Cecil? Cecil, look at me."

Cecil shifted and looked up at Carlos, and Carlos felt his heart skip a beat. It seemed as though the stars in the sky were perfectly reflected in Cecil's deep purple eyes.

"Oh my..."

"What is it, Carlos?"

Carlos smiled and kissed Cecil's forehead. "There is an entire, perfect universe in your eyes..."

Cecil blushed.

"I would do anything," Carlos continued, "to belong in that universe."

"But you already do," Cecil told him softly.

It was Carlos's turn to blush. "I love you..."

"I love you too," Cecil whispered. "So very much."

After a few more minutes of rambling about the stars and about each other, Cecil and Carlos came to the decision that they were both too tired to keep their balance on the roof much longer. They went inside, and curled up in bed together...

And everything was perfect.


	5. And Now, The Weather

The dark clouds had started rolling in around mid morning, and their presence in the desert sky made Cecil uneasy. The Voice of Night Vale watched through the radio station's one window as the sky became thick with a murky grey. Something wasn't right about this. A shudder ran down his spine... had it gotten colder in here? He sighed, mentally shoving the thought aside. After all, he had a broadcast to deal with, and that was more important. He closed the blinds over the window so he wouldn't be distracted. 

Time passed quickly as Cecil went through the familiar daily motions of telling stories and sharing the news. Still, that odd chill hung in the air, making Cecil feel somewhat uncomfortable. He simply couldn't distract himself from it. Something was not right. 

Cecil's phone began to ring. His cell phone, not the station phone. He switched his broadcast over to a pre-recorded message and answered the call, not bothering to check the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Cecil!" Carlos' voice was like music to the radio host's ears. And he sounded so excited too. Cecil's curiosity was piqued.

"Hey Carlos. What's going on?"

"I'm outside the radio station. I need you to come out right now! Oh, honey, it's amazing!"

"Alright, alright," Cecil said with a soft chuckle. "I'll be right out."

Smiling to himself, Cecil walked over to the station's front door, and... froze.

"Oh my gods..."

The air was so much colder than it was supposed to be, and it stung Cecil's skin. Falling softly from the sky were what looked like... feathers? Cecil tried to catch one, but it became drops of cold water in his hand.

"What is this?!"

Carlos, noticing Cecil had come out, rushed over to him. Cecil was momentarily distracted by the way the strange white things caught in Carlos' long, dark hair, and seemed to make it shimmer.

"Cecil!" Carlos grinned at him. "Look! It's snowing!"

"Snowing?" Cecil had heard the word before, but only had a vague idea of what it meant.

"Yeah! A weather machine we were working on in the lab malfunctioned! This probably won't last long but it's so cool!"

"Sure... cool..." Cecil was suspicious, and not used to the cold, and didn't like it. 

Carlos kissed Cecil's cheek. "It can't hurt you. I promise." Noticing his lover was cold, Carlos slipped off his lab coat and gently draped it around Cecil's shoulders.

Cecil blushed faintly. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. 

"Come on," Carlos encouraged gently, taking Cecil's hands through the open door. "Come outside."

Putting his faith in Carlos, Cecil nodded slightly and took a few hesitant steps out into this strange new world that apparently contained snow.

The soft whiteness accumulating on the ground gave way easily beneath Cecil's feet as he ventured out, following his beloved Carlos and leaving a trail of prints behind. 

Carlos grinned at Cecil's awestruck expression. He was so cute, and in this moment he seemed to have a childlike innocence. Snowflakes dusted Cecil's black hair, making it sparkle, and Carlos felt his heart skip a beat. In the dim light that filtered through the clouds, he was beautiful.

"This might just be the strangest thing I've ever seen..." Cecil mumbled. 

Carlos found that hard to believe, considering Cecil lived in a town where floating cats and elder gods were the norm, but he decided it wasn't worth debating.

"You've really never seen snow before?"

"No... have you?"

"Yeah." Carlos frowned slightly. He _had_ seen snow many times. He just couldn't remember _where_... not that it mattered at the moment. He returned his attention to Cecil, whose shifting eyes were practically glowing with violet curiosity.

"Wow..." Cecil was amazed by the strange stuff falling from the sky, if mildly afraid of it.

Letting go of Cecil's hands, grinning, Carlos fell backwards into the snow.

Cecil gasped. "Carlos! Are you okay?!"

Carlos laughed softly, beginning to swish his arms and legs back and forth. "I'm fine, honey. I did that on purpose."

"Oh." Cecil was confused, watching Carlos move.

Carlos reached out. "Help me up?"

Cecil took Carlos' hand and pulled him up, looking at the funny shape left in the snow. "What's the point of that?"

"It's a snow-" Carlos stopped himself, remembering at the last second that angels couldn't be acknowledged in Night Vale. "Er... being."

"A snow being?" Cecil laughed. "You come up with the craziest things, Carlos!"

"Oh, is crazy what you want? Because I can show you crazy!" He grabbed Cecil's hand and began leading him somewhere, stopping to find a large piece of cardboard along the way.

"Carlos-! Honey, where are we going?"

Carlos lead Cecil to the top of a snowy hill. "Prepare to be amazed."

"What?"

He set down the cardboard and sat on it, then gestured for Cecil to join him.

A little confused, Cecil went and sat in front of Carlos. "What are you doing?"

"Just trust me," he said with a smile. He pressed a soft kiss to Cecil's cheek as he wrapped his arms around the shorter male. "Hold on tight."

Cecil held on to Carlos. "Okay..."

Carlos pushed forward and they quickly slid down the hill. Cecil cried out in surprise, clinging to Carlos until they eventually stopped moving.

"How was that?" Carlos asked happily.

Cecil turned to face Carlos with wide, energetic eyes. "That was insane! Can we do it again?!"

Carlos laughed softly. "Of course, dear."

The two returned to the top of the hill, and slid down again. Unfortunately, as they neared the bottom, they veered out of control and flew into a snowbank.

Carlos pushed himself up, looking down at Cecil, who had landed beneath him. "Are you okay, babe?"

Cecil laughed softly. "Yup. Snow is a good place to land. Even if it's cold."

Carlos nodded, smirking. "What if I warm you up?"

Cecil blushed and nodded slightly.

Carlos leaned over Cecil, kissing him passionately.

Cecil pressed closer to Carlos, deepening the kiss and giving in quickly, letting the scientist take the lead and claim his mouth.

Carlos didn't pull away until they were both breathless. It was at that point that he noticed Cecil's shivering. "Oh... you really are cold, aren't you babe?"

"Y-yeah... a little..."

Carlos smiled, a little amused. Of course his desert-dwelling boyfriend would be more sensitive to the cold than he was. He stood, and gently picked Cecil up.

Cecil nuzzled Carlos, looking up at him lovingly. "As nice as this is, I should get back to work..."

Carlos kissed Cecil softly. "How about this; I'll take you back to the station and make you something warm to drink, and then I can hold you while you finish your broadcast. Does that sound good?"

Cecil blushed and smiled. "That sounds... perfect."

_Maybe,_ Cecil thought as Carlos carried him back to the station, _the cold isn't so bad after all._


	6. Re-education

Carlos was an anxious wreck. His mind was going a mile a minute, and his heart was racing. Cecil, his beloved boyfriend, had been taken for re-education. It was the first time this had happened since they'd started dating. Cecil claimed that he'd been re-educated many times before, and that it was a normal part of living in Night Vale, but that didn't make Carlos any less anxious. Especially considering the fact that Cecil had never told Carlos exactly what they did during re-education. Only that it was meant to to instill in Night Vale citizens a healthy fear of City Council and the Secret Police. Even the name of the process made Carlos fearful.

_Re-education... what a horrible word,_ he thought. _What are they doing to Cecil? I hope he's okay... I hope they aren't hurting him too much..._

Carlos didn't consider himself a nervous person, but when it came to Cecil being in danger... well, that was something else entirely. Worrying about Cecil was sort of a constant in Carlos' life, and he tried to keep his reactions to a minimum. After all, Cecil's job was dangerous, and Cecil was also really bad at noticing when he was in actual danger. But knowing that Cecil was _definitely_ being hurt, and that he couldn't do anything to stop it, made Carlos feel sick.

The ringing of his cell phone snapped Carlos out of his thoughts. He liked to set different ringtones for people so he knew who was calling immediately, and so that the noise would get his attention if he was focusing on something else. This particular ringtone was Owl City's _Fireflies_. Carlos smiled a little at the familiar song before remembering who he'd set that ringtone for.

_Cecil! He promised to call when he got home!_

Carlos looked at the clock. Cecil had been gone for most of the day, and Carlos had been very distracted. Almost shaking from his need to know, Carlos quickly picked up his phone and answered it.

"Cecil?"

"Hey honey..." Cecil's voice sounded strained, as if he was in pain. Carlos felt his heart drop.

"Cecil, are you okay?! Did they hurt you?!"

"No worse than usual..." Cecil mumbled. "I-I can't talk long... I have to call Dana to patch me up..."

"Oh... Cecil, you know I know first aid, right? And I live closer than she does. I could be there with a kit in five minutes."

"No, Carlos... No... I appreciate the offer, but... I d-don't want you to see me like this... I'm a mess..."

Carlos sighed. As much as he wanted to respect his boyfriend's wishes, he was losing his mind. He couldn't remember the last time anything had made him this anxious.

"Cecil, baby, please. I've been freaking out about this all day. I'm really worried about you. I couldn't even focus on my science today. I promise, I won't think any less of you for whatever condition you're in, and I'll try not to freak out too much."

Recognizing the panic and desperation in Carlos' voice, Cecil relented.

"Okay... f-fine... but try to calm down, okay? You really don't need to worry so much..."

"...I'll try. I'll be there soon, alright?"

"Okay. See you soon..."

Carlos sighed and hung up, immediately looking for the first aid kit he kept around. Once he found it, he went to Cecil's house as quickly as possible. Taking a few breaths in an attempt to calm himself before knocking on the door.

"Come in..." Cecil called quietly.

Carlos went inside, and froze for a moment. Cecil was curled up on the couch, pale and shaking. His violet eyes, one of which was almost swollen shut, shone with pain. Quickly snapping himself out of his surprised reaction, Carlos rushed to Cecil's side and began examining him.

"Cecil... oh my god, baby, what did they do to you?!"

Cecil was covered in bruises, burns, and shallow wounds. It was easy enough to bandage him up, but Carlos was really worried about Cecil's ragged breathing, and how dazed he seemed. There was no way of knowing the extent of the internal damage. He could feel himself beginning to panic. What if it was serious? What if Cecil needed to go to the hospital? Could the hospitals in Night Vale even be trusted? What if-

"C-Carlos..." Cecil mumbled weakly.   
  
"Yes, love?"  
  
"You're hyperventilating... You need to take deep breaths... relax..."  
  
Carlos felt a part of him break. As hurt as he was, Cecil was still trying to take care of him. "Oh... Sorry Cecil... I'm just so worried about you..."

"Nothin' to worry about... they never do fatal damage..."

"But you're still seriously hurt," he said softly. "I've done pretty much all I can, but... there might be internal damage..."

"If there is, it will heal on it's own," Cecil said quietly, remembering the sickening crack he'd heard when they'd kicked him and knowing beyond a doubt that he had a few broken ribs. "B-besides... I can handle a little pain..."

Carlos frowned. "Are you sure?" His voice was so quiet and gentle, and Cecil felt something pull in his heart. They'd only been dating for a few months, but Carlos was so loving and caring that it made Cecil feel as if he were melting. Softness was something Cecil had very little of in his life, but that same softness was something that Carlos seemed very willing to provide.

Cecil looked at him. "I'm sure, Carlos. I'll be fine."

Carlos sighed. "Okay. If you're sure."

Cecil nodded slightly, but immediately regretted it when the motion sent a wave of dizziness coursing through his head. "Th-thanks for patching me up..."

"No problem, Cecil."

"You know... y-you don't have to stay... I'm fine..."

Carlos sighed. "Honey, I can't just leave you alone when you're hurt this badly."

Cecil frowned, feeling guilty as he remembered how worried Carlos had been before. "I-I mean... I don't mind if you do stay... just... y-you don't have to... that's all... I just... I feel bad..."

Carlos tilted his head slightly, a little confused. "Feel bad about what?"

"Being hurt, I guess... I feel bad about you having to put up with this..."

"Oh, Cecil..." Carlos kissed his head softly. "I'm not here because I feel like I have to be. I'm here because I love you. I'm worried about you, and I want to take care of you. I'm not 'putting up with' anything. I'm here because I want to be."

That made Cecil tear up a little. "Th-thanks, Carlos..."

"Anything for you, Cecil. Now, you need to get some rest. Lie down."

Cecil did as he was told, and Carlos gently draped a blanket over him.

"Do you need anything?"

Cecil thought for a moment. "...stay with me?"

Carlos smiled a little. "Of course."

Carlos sat down beside Cecil, who immediately shifted so that his head was on Carlos' lap. Carlos carefully ran his fingers through Cecil's hair, and Cecil slowly drifted down into the darkness of sleep.


	7. Perfect

**Authors Note: I am using my own personal headcanons in regards to what Carlos and Cecil look like. My headcanons differ from what is commonly used and recognised by the fandom.**

Carlos' first day in this strange new town was going excellently, or so he thought. He'd begun working at the town's science lab, which had been abandoned for some time. It was dark, and dusty, but within a few hours Carlos had it clean and in a workable condition, and then he could bring in his equipment as needed. He was very efficient when it came to science, and easily had his lab set up long before he unpacked any of his personal belongings in the place he intended to stay. After all, science was his top priority, and he didn't think he would to stay in this town very long.

  
As he set to work on setting up the lab the way he'd find it easiest to work in, he decided to turn on the radio. Wanting to get a feel for this town he'd be living in, he decided to look for a local news station, as he recalled walking past a radio station on his way to the lab. He had walked today, instead of driving, to get a feel for the area. He would drive when it came time to move his heavier equipment.

  
"A friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep," greeted a voice that reminded Carlos of black coffee; warm and dark. "Welcome to Night Vale."

Carlos began setting up the smaller things he had managed to box up and carry to the lab. Carlos was no weightlifter, but he was fairly strong. He focused on how his setup needed to be, not overly concerned about the nonsense the radio host was saying, until something caught his attention and sent a chill down his spine.

"A new man came into town today," claimed the man on the radio. "Who is he? What does he want from us? Why his perfect and beautiful haircut? Why his perfect and beautiful coat? He says he is a scientist. Well…we have all been scientists at one point or another in our lives. But why now? Why here? And just what does he plan to do with all those beakers and humming electrical instruments in that lab he’s renting – the one next to Big Rico’s Pizza?"

Carlos nearly dropped the beaker he was holding. How had the speaker known all of that?! He had not had one conversation with anyone in town, aside from the person he was renting the lab from, and he had certainly not told anyone about certain humming instruments that now sat on a nearby desk. And there was something else that bothered him about what the host had said. He had described Carlos as _beautiful_. As... _perfect_. Carlos was not so self-centered to assume that the person on the radio was speaking about him, and wouldn't have thought anything of it if it hadn't been for the person he'd rented from saying it had been years since anyone new had moved to town.

  
_Beautiful. Perfect._ Those words made Carlos feel a little sick when he thought about how they'd been used to describe him.  


_No,_ he remined himself, annoyed at the distraction. _He said I had a beautiful coat, and a beautiful haircut. That's all._ And he could agree that his coat was, in fact, beautiful. Being in a new town was an occasion that he had felt required the purchase and subsequent wearing of a brand new, pristine white lab coat.

  
And as for his hair... well, he decided that was a matter of opinion. He was silently thankful that the radio host had said nothing about the scars that littered his hands and arms from little lab accidents, or the slightly more noticeable burn scar on his left cheek from a slightly less little lab accident, or the strange whiteness of his blind left eye, from that same accident. The words beautiful and perfect could not, should not, apply to him. He was also concerned about the host's demands to know why he was here. The last thing Carlos wanted to be to the rest of town was suspicious, and so he felt the need to explain himself.

  
_ Besides,_ he thought, _if I make a good impression, they'll be less suspicious of my team when they show up later today._

  
"I appreciate you all for coming on such short notice," Carlos said calmly, looking at the townspeople around him. He did not notice anyone taking notes or recording anything, and so he assumed the radio host that had earlier described him in a way that had made him feel so sick was simply not present. He wasn't sure why he was thinking about that, but he was.

  
He cleared his throat. "I know new people moving to this town is rare, and I'm sure you're all wondering what exactly it is I want from you. My name is Carlos, and I am pleased to inform you that Night Vale is by far the most scientifically interesting community in America. I've come here to try and understand it better. All I want from this place is to sate my own curiosity. Others will be joining me, and I ask that you don't disrupt us." Seeing that everyone seemed fairly satisfied by his explanation of his being here, Carlos grinned. After spending some time introducing himself, he returned to the lab.

  
"That new scientist – we now know is named Carlos – called a town meeting. He has a square jaw, and teeth like a military cemetery. His hair is perfect, and we all hate, and despair, and love that perfect hair in equal measure," said the man on the radio, and Carlos once again felt sick. How did the host, who had almost certainly not been present at the meeting, know so much about what had happened?_ And why,_ Carlos wondered with some frustration, _is he so obsessed with hair?_

  
It was clear that, however the host knew about the meeting, he hadn't been paying too much attention to what Carlos had said.

"Carlos told us that we are by far the most scientifically interesting community in the U.S.," the man on the radio paraphrased, "and he had come to study just what is going on around here. He grinned, and everything about him was perfect, and I fell in love instantly."

Carlos felt his heart drop, those words echoing through his head over and over. _And I fell in love instantly_. As if anyone could possibly love him. The host was now describing Carlos as a whole as _perfect,_ and it made him feel incredibly uncomfortable. He looked at himself. At his hands. At his reflection. He was anything, _anything,_ but perfect. He felt a tear slip down his face. Feeling relieved that his team hadn't arrived and couldn't see this, he shut off the radio. He would not be listening to that station again any time soon.

  
As the day passed, as his team arrived, and as the anomalies of this town began presenting themselves, Carlos found himself being encouraged to report such findings to the local news station, an idea which he was not a fan of, so he sent others from his team to give written reports to the radio host instead. However, one of the locals told him that it wasn't be necessary. _Just explain the situation to someone,_ they had told him, _and if it's important, The Voice will know._

As much as the radio host made Carlos uncomfortable, and as little as he believed in said host being seemingly omniscient, the stranger's advice prodded at the curiosity that had driven Carlos here in the first place. Part of him wanted to meet this host himself. Armed with a now stained lab coat and a Geiger counter that he'd modified slightly, he headed to the radio station, nervousness gnawing at his internal organs. As he reached the door, everything inside him willed him to turn back, but that fire of curiosity kept him moving. He opened the door and stepped inside.

The radio station was not very large. There was a recording booth, washrooms, and a door which Carlos assumed led to a break room. He could hear music coming from the currently empty recording booth. Carlos turned to leave, when he heard the door open, and someone walked out of what Carlos had correctly assumed to be a break room.

"Hello." The voice sounded a little different when it was not coming through a radio, however it was still recognisable. Carlos turned again, and found himself face to face with the strangest man he'd ever seen.

The man was of average height. He was scrawny, with jet-black hair that had a purple streak running down the right side. His arms were adorned with purple tattoo-like markings that seemed to move on their own. More lines of purple, which could have been makeup or more tattoos, crossed his cheeks, and his eyes were a kaleidoscope of shades of blue and purple, which seemed to brighten into pastel shades when he saw Carlos. Speaking of eyes, there was a black mark that looked like a closed eye on the man's forehead, surrounded by more purple lines.

The man seemed far too excited for Carlos' liking, but he couldn't just say that.

The man grinned. "It's so nice to finally see you in person! My name is Cecil, and I'm The Voice of Night Vale."

He spoke the last part with such authority that Carlos got the impression that it was a title.

"I'm Carlos," he said, glad his voice didn't betray his fear. "The Scientist."

"I know!" Cecil exclaimed. "Would you like to stay for an interview?"

"Er… no." He took out his Geiger counter and turned it on, hoping Cecil wouldn't know what it was so he could pretend the reading was high and use it as an excuse to leave. But then, the counter began to beep and whistle. The reading really was high. So high that he and Cecil should have been dead instantly. But they weren't. 

"You need to evacuate!" Carlos told Cecil, his heart racing. "This isn't safe!" And with that, he fled. He decided he would not be sending people to the radio station anymore. He still didn't believe that Cecil could just know what was happening, and so he came to the conclusion that he'd just call when he felt the town needed to know something.

Carlos would soon discover that time did not work properly in Night Vale. Nonetheless, it still passed, and Carlos still avoided listening to a particular radio station. Or rather, he avoided it when others were around. But he had discovered that Cecil's news station was the only one in town, and was a good source for finding out what phenomena Carlos and his team should look into next, as well as the goings-on around town. So, after a week of trying to figure out how to avoid any of his fellow scientists hearing the broadcast, Carlos decided he would set up his radio to record Cecil's show every day. And so, every day as he tried to unwind after the wonderful chaos of the lab, he listened to the recording. He listened to Cecil. Cecil, with his unrelenting praise of Carlos, who at first felt uncomfortable with such commentary. Cecil, with his warm and dark voice. Cecil, with his odd appearance that Carlos could not help but imagine every time he listened to the recordings. Cecil, who... Carlos was slowly growing to enjoy listening to, or speaking to over the phone. As time passed, Carlos began to grow used to Cecil's flattery that still filled the radio waves frequently despite him having seen Carlos' scarred face. Carlos slowly began to realize that perfect did not mean to Cecil what it meant to Carlos. Perfect meant to Cecil something completely different, and much less terrifying. Gradually, Carlos began to realize that Cecil liked him just the way he was. He began to find the over-the-top compliments... nice.

By the time he'd been in Night Vale for three months, he'd realized that he really did like Cecil. Almost more than he liked science. That was concerning, as Carlos rarely liked things more than science, and was enough of a reason for him to stay in Night Vale past the time he'd originally planned to leave. He allowed anyone on his team who wanted to leave at the previously agreed-upon time to do so. Most of them stayed.

Another few months passed, and Carlos only felt his strange feelings grow stronger as he learned more about Night Vale, and more about Cecil. This place was strange, but endearing, and so was Cecil. So endearing, in fact, that Carlos found that he simply couldn't bring himself to tell the host about his large and still growing crush. He could not tell Cecil that he felt the same. If he did, it would only break Cecil's heart when he found out that Carlos would not be staying in Night Vale. After all, he was still planning to leave, despite having stayed twice as long as he'd planned to. He would still have to leave eventually.

By Carlos' eleventh month in Night Vale, he was beginning to doubt he'd ever leave. The place was far too interesting, and he was beginning to like Cecil far too much.

One month later, Carlos lay on the ground near an underground city, nearly unconscious from blood loss. He had not expected the tiny city to be armed with explosives. Explosives that had torn his skin and flesh, and likely broken a few of his ribs as well. It was hard to breathe. From above, a voice echoed into the cavern. A voice coming from the bowling alley's radio, which had been put near the opening to the cavern by the alley's owner after Carlos' decent, so he could hear Cecil's words of encouragement. Now, Cecil's words were the opposite of encouraging. They were breaking Carlos' heart.

"_Curse this town,_ that saw Carlos die. Curse me. Curse it all!" Cecil's voice, usually so smooth, was choked with emotion, and all at once Carlos realized that Cecil cared for him far more than he'd ever thought. "Let us take a moment to–" Cecil paused. "Let us…take this moment–" Carlos had never heard him have so much trouble speaking. "Ladies and gentlemen, let us mourn the pass– Can’t. I can’t! I am still holding this trophy! I– We go now to this p-pre-recorded public service announcement."  
Hearing Cecil's sweet voice so close to tears, hearing Cecil in such an emotional state, Carlos' fading thoughts were full of guilt and regret. He had known for a long time now that he'd liked Cecil, and yet he'd never said anything. Even after he was sure. Even after last month, when he'd decided he probably wouldn't be leaving. He regretted never saying anything. If he had, perhaps he could have gotten to know that interesting man so much better. Now he would die here, and Cecil would never know that his love was reciprocated, and for that Carlos felt extremely guilty. His last thoughts as he lost consciousness were of Cecil, and how he longed to tell him that he was sorry.

Carlos had not expected to wake up. However, against all odds, he was beginning to regain consciousness. He knew this because he could hear the radio again. He could hear Cecil's voice... and he was happy again! Though, other voices soon began to drown out Cecil's, and as Carlos opened his eyes, he realized he was out of the cavern. He was in the bowling alley, and the wound that had been bleeding heavily was now bandaged. As his head began to clear, one thought solidified in Carlos' mind.

"...Cecil... I need to see Cecil."

In spite of the protests of the bowling alley owner, who had apparently treated Carlos' wound, Carlos stood up. His head spun, but he soon found his balance. With a little help from some random strangers from the crowd, Carlos was provided with a shirt that was not bloodstained and driven, in his own car, to the Arby's, which he'd asked to be taken to because it was directly between the radio station and the lab. As a kindly stranger helped him get to where he needed to be, he sent a message to Cecil. It was simple, as he was still fairly dazed.

_ Arby's parking lot. 15 minutes._

By the time they reached the station and the kind stranger left, Carlos was feeling well enough to get out of his car, though he couldn't get much farther and ended up sitting on the trunk. His head was beginning to clear. He hoped that he'd be able to hold a coherent conversation when Cecil arrived.

Before long, Cecil rushed into the parking lot. “What is it?” He said. “Wha-what danger are we in? What mystery needs to be explored?”

Carlos swallowed the lump in his throat, and took a slow breath. “Nothing.” It was still difficult to speak. “After everything that happened… I just wanted to see you.”

Cecil's colour changing eyes went from a sad grey to an excited shade of violet that was almost neon. “Oh?” His voice shook in a way that Carlos had never heard before.

“I used to think it was setting at the wrong time,” Carlos said quietly, staring at the setting sun, “but then I realized that time doesn’t work in Night Vale, and that none of the clocks are real. Sometimes things seem so strange, or malevolent, and then you find that, underneath, it was something else altogether. Something pure, and innocent.” As he spoke, he felt that guilt squirming inside him again. He had once felt sick at Cecil's strange way of flirting, as if it had been offensive. As if it was something more than what it really was; sweet.

“I know what you mean,” Cecil said in a voice that was still uncertain.

Carlos gestured for Cecil to sit beside him, and he did. The lights above the Arby's caught Carlos' eye. His head began to feel fuzzy again, and he knew it was much too soon to say all that he wanted to say. Still, in a moment of weakness, he rested his hand on Cecil's knee. Cecil, in response, leaned his head against Carlos' shoulder. Carlos realized that he didn't need to say those things. Cecil understood. Cecil, who had always known more than he should, understood. 

And in spite of his former thoughts about the word, Carlos came to realize what, exactly, Cecil meant when he said the word _perfect._


	8. Cecil's Devotion

** Request from @spootly on Wattpad: Cecil getting injured or attacked on air and still tries to do the show despite being hurt.**   
** (Note: Please comment requests if you have them! I enjoy getting them.)**

The first thing a radio host must be is devoted. Devoted to their job, to their town, and to informing people of what was happening. Cecil Palmer was certainly devoted. He loved Night Vale, and working at the radio station. He felt pride in knowing that what he did was important.

The second thing a radio host must be is focused, and as much as he loved his job, Cecil Palmer was not a focused person. Not when he had something else on his mind, anyway.

Cecil knew it bothered Station Management when he went off-topic, however he was careful about it. He would pay close attentions to any signs that Station Management was getting agitated, and would quickly return to what he was supposed to be talking about. It was a trick that worked often, but Cecil had been using it frequently. Too frequently for Station Management's liking.  
"You know the rules, Cecil." The voice that was neither low nor high, but somehow every single tone in between, was the first thing to greet Cecil as he entered the station. "You know what you're supposed to discuss. If you wish to reveal your opinions on air, that's no business of mine, but you need to stop talking about your personal life."

Cecil froze, staring at the massive, indescribable form of Station Management. It was rare to see Station Management outside their office, and it was even rarer for them to speak to someone directly. Cecil knew he was in trouble.

"I-I... I'm sorry! I'll stop, I swear!"

"You'd better," they snarled, raising a single clawed appendage. "I'd hate to bear witness to the death of another Voice."

  
Before Cecil could protest, or even react to the chills running down his spine, Station Management lashed out. Cecil was only aware of a searing pain in his chest, the feeling of his head and back hitting the wall, and the sound of his own pained screams.

By the time his vision, blurred from pain and the hard blow to his head, had cleared, Station Management had disappeared back into their office. Cecil looked down at himself. There was a huge gash across his chest, which bled heavily and hurt almost as bad as his head did. Cecil sighed and took off his now tattered shirt, and haphazardly attempted to bandage the wound. There was a first aid kit in the station, but at the moment Cecil was too dizzy to recall where it was.

Once the wound was at least covered, and Cecil was sure he wouldn't bleed all over the place, he attempted to stand. However, the only thing he succeeded in was stumbling and falling back to the floor as his head swam and the world spun around him. He yelped as he landed on his hands and knees, sure he'd heard something pop in his left wrist.

"Okay..." Cecil whispered to himself. "Can't stand... Plan B." Taking a shaky breath, he began a painful crawl towards his desk. He considered himself lucky that he always arrived at the station ten minutes early. He would need that time today.

As he crept to his desk, cursing under his breath at every flash of pain, he considered calling for help. His phone was in his pocket, after all. It would not be difficult. However, a brief glance at the door of Station Management's office made the idea vanish. Smoke curled from under the door, meaning that they were still quite angry. Cecil couldn't risk calling someone and endangering them, nor could he risk not doing his show, which would only anger Station Management more. No, he only had one choice.

The crawl to his desk felt as though it took hours, when really it only took about eight minutes. From there, Cecil was just barely able to pull himself up into his chair. A sigh of relief escaped him as he did so. He felt incredibly dizzy, and being still for a moment helped immensely. From here, the day wouldn't be much more trouble. The chair had wheels, meaning Cecil wouldn't have to risk standing again for another few hours.

After taking a moment to let the dizziness fade, Cecil set everything up for his daily broadcast, and began to speak, though his voice was a touch shaky.

"There are n-no happy endings... Th-there are even fewer happy beginnings... We all b-begin screaming... Welcome to N-night Vale."  
Cecil spent the day struggling to hide his agony as he spoke. He focused only on what needed to be said, keeping his injured hand pressed over his wound while he used the other to operate the equipment. Messages from others provided the information he needed, as well as his third eye, but Cecil felt quite dizzy between his visions. By the time he put on the weather, he was exhausted.

As he took a moment to breathe, he re-inspected his injuries. His chest had stopped bleeding as the day wore on, but his left wrist was beginning to swell. That was bad. He noticed that breathing was more difficult than it should have been. Still, it was not difficult enough for him to have noticed sooner, so he decided it was unimportant. 

He closed his eyes briefly, feeling as if someone was pounding on his skull with a hammer from the inside. He likely had a concussion, considering the amount of force Station Management had used to fling him at the wall.

Before Cecil could have much of a chance to rest, the weather was over, and he needed to get back to work. He sighed. At least he was feeling better than he had when he'd started. That was something.

"I must apologize, listeners," Cecil found the courage to say as his show neared its end, "if I have not sounded quite like myself today. It has been a difficult day. Perhaps you also have had a difficult day, once. As the sun sets, causing our dear sky to bleed, I ask that you remember that, and do not judge me too harshly. Do not judge anyone too harshly. Stay tuned next for the sound of water slowly dripping off a cold ceiling. Goodnight, Night Vale. Goodnight."

As he ended the show, Cecil once again checked the door to Station Management's office. Fortunately, they seemed satisfied. No more smoke seeped out from under their door. Cecil decided he could risk calling for help now. He took out his phone.

"Hello?"

Cecil felt nothing but relief as he heard Carlos' voice. "Carlos? It's me."

"Hey, Cecil. Is something wrong? You sounded stressed out today. I was going to call you during the weather, but one of my experiments went haywire..."

"Don't worry too much, love. It was just a bad day. Any chance you could give me a ride home?"

Carlos found that suspicious. Cecil always walked home unless something was wrong. "Of course I can. I'll be there soon. Anything else?"

"...maybe bring some bandages." Before Carlos could question that request, Cecil hung up and tucked his phone back into his pocket. Feeling as though he had nothing left to do, Cecil finally let himself close his eyes.

"Cecil! Cecil, oh my god!"

Cecil had only been asleep for about twenty minutes when the panicked voice woke him up. He opened his eyes to see Carlos running toward him.

"Cecil! Baby!" Carlos' expression was one of fear and overwhelming concern. "What the hell happened to you?!"

"I'll tell you when we get home..." Cecil mumbled quietly. "I just wanna go home."

"Okay. Okay, honey. I'll take you home and patch you up there." Carlos said softly, gently taking Cecil into his arms and carrying him out to his waiting car. His heart was racing. Cecil, his poor Cecil, was absolutely covered in blood. He couldn't help but feel worried.

After the brief drive home, Carlos carefully got Cecil into the house, setting him down on the couch before getting whatever he could from the medicine cabinet and beginning to tend to Cecil's injuries.

"What happened, honey?" He asked gently, as he examined Cecil again.

"Station Management..." he muttered. "I made them angry..."

Cecil had told Carlos about Station management before, but Carlos had never imagined they'd hurt Cecil so badly. "Oh... Oh, honey..."

Carlos continued tending to Cecil as the Voice told him all about his day. Carlos felt sick to his stomach as Cecil described dragging himself to his desk. 

He cautiously stitched up the gash in Cecil's chest and bandaged it properly, feeling an incredible guilt at having to hurt Cecil in order to help him, then frowned as he examined Cecil's arm. "How'd you break your wrist, baby?"

"Well... I had to crawl to my desk because I couldn't stand... And I knew I couldn't stand because I fell when I tried... I heard something pop when I landed, but I didn't think it was broken."

"Well, it's definitely broken..."

"I don't want to go to the hospital." Cecil whimpered.

Carlos sighed. "I don't trust the hospitals here anyway. I'm going to try and set it, okay? This is going to hurt..."

Cecil screamed in agony as Carlos popped the bone back into place. Again, Carlos felt his stomach churn with guilt.

"I'm so sorry, honey..."

"It's fine..." Cecil mumbled through his tears.

Carlos frowned, feeling fortunate that they still had plaster bandages from an earlier incident. He managed to make a cast for Cecil's arm, though it was somewhat haphazard as Carlos was definitely not an expert.

"There. That's it for the painful stuff," he said gently as he carefully tucked a pillow under Cecil's head. "Now, you need to rest, okay."

"Okay..." Cecil mumbled, his eyes already closing.

Carlos sighed as he softly kissed Cecil's head, and silently decided that he'd have to call the lab and tell them he wouldn't be in tomorrow. He intended to fill in for Cecil.


	9. Carlos' Devotion

**Continued from previous story.**

Carlos the Scientist was not devoted to much. He was not religious. His job did not require high levels of connection to anyone. However, there was one thing that Carlos was devoted to.

Cecil.

His dear, sweet, beloved Cecil. The love of his life, who had come home yesterday severely injured. Cecil, who was still sleeping, still having a little trouble breathing, and still _absolutely_ needed to rest. Carlos softly kissed Cecil's forehead before getting out of bed and leaving the room. Within a few minutes, he had a plan. He knew exactly what he needed to do. He picked up his cell phone, thought about it for a few more minutes, then called a familiar number.

The call was, of course, answered. "Hello?" Nilanjana's voice was calm.

"Hey, it's me. I'm sorry for calling so early, but there's a bit of a situation."

"Oh?" She only sounded mildly concerned.

"Cecil's hurt. I think he'll be okay if I leave him at home to rest, but the station doesn't have an intern right now, so I'm going to fill in for him. Can I leave you in charge of the lab?"

"Yeah, sure... are you sure this is a good idea?"

"No. No I'm not. But he needs to rest. At least for a day. And I think if nobody fills in for him, Station Management will be angry and hurt him again. So... I have to do this, even though I have no idea what I'm doing... and I'm a little scared."

"Well... I trust your judgement, Carlos. If you want me to run the lab for you today, I can. Other than that, I don't think I can help all that much."

"Thanks... I'll talk to you later." And with that, he hung up, and returned to the bedroom.

Carlos got dressed as quietly as he could, not wanting to wake Cecil, but as he was finishing up he heard a quiet groan. 

"Carlos...?"

Carlos went to his side. "Hey beautiful. How are you feeling?"

"Still not great..." Cecil whimpered, his face twisting with pain as he pushed himself up a little. "I might need help getting ready... Ugh, I hate being able to feel pain..."

Carlos frowned as he remembered that not everyone in Night Vale felt pain. He gently pushed Cecil back down. "No, love. You're not going to work today. You need to rest."

"But... Station Management... If nobody fills in, they'll..."

"Shh." He gently ran one hand through Cecil's hair, a little worried that his concerns about no one doing the show seemed to be true. "They found somebody to fill in for you. It's okay. Just rest, Cecil. I still have to go to the lab, but you can text me if you need anything, okay?"

"Mm... o-okay... I'll... I'll do that..."

"I'll call when I can to check in on you, alright? Now go back to sleep, love."

Cecil nodded slightly, and closed his eyes once again.

Carlos sighed heavily. He hated leaving Cecil like this, but someone had to make sure this wouldn't happen again. He pressed another soft kiss to Cecil's forehead, and gently pulled the blanket up over Cecil's shoulders. "I love you, Cecil..."

The drive to the radio station was a short one. Carlos knew that Cecil usually walked, but he wanted to be able to get home quickly in case Cecil needed him. As he pulled up in front of the station, he felt a little nervous. He could hear Cecil's voice in the back of his head, telling him that this plan was suicidal, but for once he ignored all his better judgement. Steeling himself, he walked into the station.

There were exactly twenty-three steps between the front door of the radio station and the door to Station Management's office. A growl rose in Carlos' throat. Nobody, monstrous or otherwise, hurt his Cecil. The anger that had slowly been simmering deep inside Carlos since Cecil had come home injured came into a raging boil, and he pounded on Station Management's door. "HEY!"

The door swung open, and Carlos could see a massive creature taking up most of the room. Its form shifted constantly, as if it were a writhing mass of other things instead of one solid thing. Its limbs had the appearance of clawed tentacles. This was the thing that Cecil feared so much. The thing that had hurt him so badly. 

"Who are you?" Station Management's voice was somehow many voices, but one voice. "What do you want? Who dares disturb me?"

Fueled by rage, Carlos stared Station Management down. "My name is Carlos, and if you _ever_ hurt _my_ Cecil again, I will burn this radio station to the ground with you inside, understood?!"

For the first time in Station Management's life, it felt fear. Nothing had ever stood up to Station Management in such a way. Carlos was not from Night Vale, but the anger rolling off of him was not human either. It burned with chaos, and unpredictability. Station Management feared this chaos, and knew immediately that this Carlos would follow through with his threat should he ever feel the desire to.

Its only answer was a low, garbled whimper, and the slamming of its office door. But Carlos interpreted it as a yes. With that done, he felt much calmer. He entered the recording booth, and was pleased to find the script that was usually left for Cecil.

"I'm not Cecil, but you already knew that. Welcome to Night Vale."

Carlos did not go off topic like Cecil usually would, and barely added in any personal commentary, but that was unsurprising. He wasn't Cecil, and he wasn't entirely comfortable with doing Cecil's job either. But he did his best, talking his way through the news and everything else. He called Cecil during the weather, but received no answer, so he just left a voicemail.

When the day, and the show, drew to a close, Carlos was anxious to return to Cecil. Mostly because he hadn't heard from Cecil all day. He rushed home, and his worries only grew as he heard nothing. He hurried up the stairs to the bedroom, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. Cecil was still in bed.

"Mh…?" Cecil raised his head as he heard the bedroom door open. "Carlos...?"

"Yeah, it's me," Carlos said softly as he went and sat beside Cecil. "I'm home."

Cecil smiled. "Hi... I missed you..."

"I called earlier. Did you leave your phone on silent again?"

Cecil frowned, then nodded. "I must have... sorry, it's a habit."

Carlos smiled softly. "It's okay, love. As long as you're alright."

"How was work today?"

Carlos hesitated. He considered telling Cecil what he'd done, and that Station Management would never bother him again. but he decided that conversation would be easier to have when Cecil was a little more awake, and a little less hurt. "It was alright."

Carlos gently took Cecil into his arms, holding him close, as if he could protect him from the entire world.

No, not _as if_. He knew he could.


	10. Accidents

Cecil didn't visit Carlos at the lab often, but today Carlos had been working late, and so Cecil had decided to stop by on his way home. He smiled as he entered the lab, which was in a state of chaos that wasn't quite unusual for the place. A few of the scientists offered friendly greetings, but most of them were distracted by various beeping equipment and paper with red ink on it.

  
Still, it didn't matter too much. Cecil was looking for someone specific, after all.

Soon enough, Cecil caught a glimpse of familiar dark hair and a stained lab coat, and he quickly went over. "Carlos?"

Carlos was a little startled by Cecil's sudden appearance, and grinned at him. "Cecil! Hey!"

Cecil smiled. "Hi. What are you up to?"

"All kinds of things!" Carlos seemed to be working on at least five things at once. "I can't quite explain all of them right now. I don't have time."

Cecil smiled. "That's so interesting! Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Sure." Carlos' voice was cheerful. Even if he was a little stressed, he still felt happy. After all, he was doing the work that he loved, and now the person he loved most was offering to help with that. He handed Cecil a small container of white powder. "Can you add this to the beaker of blue liquid over there?"

"Of course!" Cecil lightly kissed Carlos' cheek and went over to the beaker, beginning to pour in the powder. "Oh... Carlos, is it supposed to be starting to boil? It's steaming..."

Carlos frowned. "What... that's not right..."

"I... feel funny..." Cecil began to sway, and promptly collapsed.

"CECIL!" He screamed, rushing to his side and dropping to the ground beside him. Fortunately, one of the nearby scientists had the sense to get the beaker contained safely as Carlos panicked.

"Cecil! Cecil, wake up!" Carlos sobbed, absolutely horrified that he'd been the cause of this. He felt nausea creep through him as he realized he'd accidentally given Cecil the wrong powder.

Cecil's nose was bleeding profusely, and he was completely unconscious. He'd only been exposed to the steam for about thirty seconds, but apparently that had been enough to do this to him.

Carlos couldn't keep himself composed as one of the other scientists that was trained in first aid began tending to Cecil. He just sobbed, shaking, praying to whatever gods there were in this place that Cecil would be okay.

Time seemed to pass both too slowly and too fast. All Carlos could do was hold Cecil's hand and cry. 

It was half an hour before Cecil finally woke, confused by the burning pain in his head and his lungs, and worried by Carlos' sobbing. "C-Carlos...?"

Carlos' head snapped up, tears still streaming down his face. "Cecil?! Cecil!" A sob of relief escaped him. "Oh, Cecil, I'm so, so sorry! I messed it up! I'm so sorry!"

Cecil frowned, trying to make sense of what had happened. "Carlos, calm down... please..."

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I gave you the wrong powder and... a-and..."

"It's okay..." Cecil mumbled softly. "it was an accident..."

"I hurt you..." Carlos was still shaking. "This is all my fault..."

"Carlos, please calm down." Cecil lightly squeezed his hand. He still felt dizzy, and his head and lungs hurt badly, but comforting his Carlos was so much more important than that. "Can we go home?"

Carlos nodded slightly and, after double and triple checking with the medic that Cecil would be okay, he took him home.

Cecil was still a little dazed, but was happy to be going home, at least. Maybe then he could help Carlos actually calm down.

As they went inside, Cecil noticed that Carlos wouldn't stray far from him. Carlos had helped him inside and to the couch, and was now nervously hovering nearby.

"Carlos?"

"Yes, Cecil?" The anxiety was audible in Carlos' voice. "Do you need something?"

"Please sit down. I'm worried about you."

"What? Why?"

"Because you're clearly really beating yourself up over this, and you shouldn't be. It was an accident."

"Accident or not, I hurt you. I'm responsible for this. I can't just forgive myself for that..."

Cecil sighed. "Well... I forgive you." He reached out, taking Carlos' hand. "I love you."

"I love you too, Cecil. How can I make this up to you?"

Cecil thought about it for a moment. There was absolutely no way Cecil would feel comfortable taking advantage of Carlos' guilt and using it to make him do something. But at the same time, if he didn't ask for something to "make up" for this, Carlos might continue to beat himself up over it, and he didn't want that either.

The answer came to Cecil as he tried to sit up, and pain flared through his head. A quiet whimper escaped him. "Y-you could take care of me until I'm feeling better..." he mumbled. "I don't think I can get up without help."

Carlos nodded, kissing Cecil's forehead. "Of course I'll take care of you, my love. It's the least I can do."

Cecil curled up, lightly pulling on Carlos' hand to suggest he should sit down. Fortunately, Carlos obliged, and Cecil snuggled up to him, closing his eyes as Carlos moved Cecil on to his lap and held him with such incredible gentleness. A gentleness that Cecil only ever felt from his scientist. He leaned his head on Carlos' shoulder, slowly breathing in the familiar smell and feeling warmth flood his body.

Cecil didn't sleep, but he didn't ask for anything else either. All he needed was the soft, caring warmth of Carlos' arms around him.


	11. Guilt

Cecil didn't visit Carlos at the lab often, but today Carlos had been working late, and so Cecil had decided to stop by on his way home. He smiled as he entered the lab, which was in a state of chaos that wasn't quite unusual for the place. A few of the scientists offered friendly greetings, but most of them were distracted by various beeping equipment and paper with red ink on it.

Still, it didn't matter too much. Cecil was looking for someone specific, after all.

Soon enough, Cecil caught a glimpse of familiar dark hair and a stained lab coat, and he quickly went over. "Carlos?"

Carlos was a little startled by Cecil's sudden appearance, and grinned at him. "Cecil! Hey!"

Cecil smiled. "Hi. What are you up to?"

"All kinds of things!" Carlos seemed to be working on at least five things at once. "I can't quite explain all of them right now. I don't have time."

Cecil smiled. "That's so interesting! Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Sure." Carlos' voice was cheerful. Even if he was a little stressed, he still felt happy. After all, he was doing the work that he loved, and now the person he loved most was offering to help with that. He handed Cecil a small container of white powder. "Can you add this to the beaker of blue liquid over there?"

"Of course!" Cecil lightly kissed Carlos' cheek and went over to the beaker, beginning to pour in the powder. "Oh... Carlos, is it supposed to be starting to boil? It's steaming..."

Carlos frowned. "What... that's not right..."

"I... feel funny..." Cecil began to sway, and promptly collapsed.

"CECIL!" He screamed, rushing to his side and dropping to the ground beside him. Fortunately, one of the nearby scientists had the sense to get the beaker contained safely as Carlos panicked.

"Cecil! Cecil, wake up!" Carlos sobbed, absolutely horrified that he'd been the cause of this. He felt nausea creep through him as he realized he'd accidentally given Cecil the wrong powder.

Cecil's nose was bleeding profusely, and he was completely unconscious. He'd only been exposed to the steam for about thirty seconds, but apparently that had been enough to do this to him.

Carlos couldn't keep himself composed as one of the other scientists that was trained in first aid began tending to Cecil. He just sobbed, shaking, praying to whatever gods there were in this place that Cecil would be okay.

Time seemed to pass both too slowly and too fast. All Carlos could do was hold Cecil's hand and cry. 

It was half an hour before Cecil finally woke, confused by the burning pain in his head and his lungs, and worried by Carlos' sobbing. "C-Carlos...?"

Carlos' head snapped up, tears still streaming down his face. "Cecil?! Cecil!" A sob of relief escaped him. "Oh, Cecil, I'm so, so sorry! I messed it up! I'm so sorry!"

Cecil frowned, trying to make sense of what had happened. "Carlos, calm down... please..."

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I gave you the wrong powder and... a-and..."

"It's okay..." Cecil mumbled softly. "it was an accident..."

"I hurt you..." Carlos was still shaking. "This is all my fault..."

"Carlos, please calm down." Cecil lightly squeezed his hand. He still felt dizzy, and his head and lungs hurt badly, but comforting his Carlos was so much more important than that. "Can we go home?"

Carlos nodded slightly and, after double and triple checking with the medic that Cecil would be okay, he took him home.

Cecil was still a little dazed, but was happy to be going home, at least. Maybe then he could help Carlos actually calm down.

As they went inside, Cecil noticed that Carlos wouldn't stray far from him. Carlos had helped him inside and to the couch, and was now nervously hovering nearby.

"Carlos?"

"Yes, Cecil?" The anxiety was audible in Carlos' voice. "Do you need something?"

"Please sit down... I'm worried about you..."

"What? Why?"

"Because you're clearly really beating yourself up over this, and you shouldn't be. It was an accident."

"Accident or not, I hurt you. I'm responsible for this. I can't just forgive myself for that..."

Cecil sighed. "Well... I forgive you." He reached out, taking Carlos' hand. "I love you."

"I love you too, Cecil. How can I make this up to you?"

Cecil thought about it for a moment. There was absolutely no way Cecil would feel comfortable taking advantage of Carlos' guilt and using it to make him do something. But at the same time, if he didn't ask for something to "make up" for this, Carlos might continue to beat himself up over it, and he didn't want that either.

The answer came to Cecil as he tried to sit up, and pain flared through his head. A quiet whimper escaped him. "Y-you could take care of me until I'm feeling better..." he mumbled. "I don't think I can get up without help."

Carlos nodded, kissing Cecil's forehead. "Of course I'll take care of you, my love. It's the least I can do."

Cecil curled up, lightly pulling on Carlos' hand to suggest he should sit down. Fortunately, Carlos obliged, and Cecil snuggled up to him, closing his eyes as Carlos moved Cecil on to his lap and held him with such incredible gentleness. A gentleness that Cecil only ever felt from his scientist. He leaned his head on Carlos' shoulder, slowly breathing in the familiar smell and feeling warmth flood his body.

Cecil didn't sleep, but he didn't ask for anything else either. All he needed was the soft, caring warmth of Carlos' arms around him.

Carlos couldn't hide his concern for Cecil, even as Cecil simply relaxed in his arms. He couldn't help but notice that Cecil's breathing was uneven, and that he would occasionally whimper in pain when he moved his head, and that-

"Carlos?" Cecil's voice was soft, and still a little shaky.

"Yes?"

"Your heart is racing..." Cecil mumbled.

"I'm sorry." Carlos ran his fingers through Cecil's hair, both to comfort his boyfriend and to calm himself down. "I'm just worried about you."

"I know, but you don't have to be... I'll be okay."

"I feel bad for hurting you too. I just can't get over it. I was so stupid!"

Cecil frowned and wrapped his arms around Carlos, hugging him. "It's okay..."

"It's really not..."

Cecil buried his face in Carlos' chest, and Carlos quietly waited for him to say something else, but nothing else came. Cecil was already asleep.


	12. Fears

** Request from @decidedly_a_fander on Wattpad: Carlos is feeling overwhelmed, after all, Night Vale is so crazy and he’s so... normal. He worries that Cecil will get bored of him and when Station Management starts asking more and more of Cecil, Carlos is afraid his fears are coming true.**

Carlos sighed as he curled up on the couch. In the kitchen, dinner was getting cold. He'd gone out of his way to make Cecil's favorite for dinner, and Cecil hadn't even been home in time to enjoy it.

Carlos was trying very hard not to feel bitter, but Cecil had been coming home later and later every night for the past few weeks, and it was hard not to feel insecure. Especially considering the kinds of things that usually happened in Night Vale. In a town where some incredible new phenomenon was happening every other week, Carlos was quite probably the most normal person in town. 

And he couldn't help but think that maybe Cecil had gotten bored of him. He hated to think that of Cecil, especially since that wasn't like him at all, but in his mind that seemed to be the most likely conclusion. Why else would Cecil be avoiding him like this?

Carlos began to feel a horrible tightness in his chest as the minutes ticked on and Cecil still didn't come home, still didn't answer his calls and texts, still avoided him. Before long, the tears began to flow freely, and Carlos felt himself crumble into an insecure, sobbing mess.

Meanwhile, at the radio station, Cecil was getting more and more frustrated with a certain large entity. Station Management was forcing him to work on tracking down some obscure story for a news section of the show, and he'd been working so hard on it in order to avoid their wrath, but putting in so much overtime was exhausting. His phone had died two hours ago, and he just wanted to go home. 

Finally, he saw his opportunity when Station Management was briefly distracted by something out their window. Cecil bolted for the door. Surprisingly, it worked, and he began the walk home.

Even more surprising was when he opened the door to the sound of quiet sobbing. He quickly went inside, and soon found Carlos, curled up on the couch. He sat beside him. "Carlos? Oh, Carlos, my love, what's wrong?"

Carlos looked up, and Cecil felt his heart break. Carlos' face was streaked with tears. His eyes were red and puffy. He'd clearly been crying for quite some time. Cecil reached out to him.

Carlos whimpered. "N-no... don't touch me right now..."

Cecil nodded and pulled back his hand. He knew that Carlos wasn't always comfortable with touching, especially when he was upset. "What's wrong?"

Carlos took a slow, shuddering breath. How could he explain this to Cecil without hurting his feelings? The words escaped him before he could fully understand what he was about to say. "I'm scared that you're getting tired of me." He winced. That didn't sound great . However, honesty was usually more effective in these situations. Cecil tended to get lost if Carlos tried to beat around the bush.

"What could ever make you think that, love?"

"I just... you've been home late so much lately and... a-and Night Vale is so exciting and strange and I'm so not..."

"Carlos..." Cecil's gentle tone of voice was more comforting to Carlos than any hug could ever be. "Honey, I could never get tired of you. I've only been home late because Station Management's been making me do a ton of research and you know how they get..."

Carlos nodded slowly. "But... I called..."

"I don't check my phone at work when they're like that. Too easy to get in trouble."

"Oh... I... I'm sorry... I shouldn't have assumed..." Carlos felt so ashamed now.

"Shh, it's okay." Cecil fought the urge to put his hand on Carlos' knee. "I didn't explain the situation to you, but I should have. For future reference, I could never, _ever_ get tired of you, love."

Carlos sighed quietly and leaned against Cecil, his emotions having done a full 180 degree turn.

Cecil, understanding that Carlos had changed his mind about not wanting to be touched, wrapped his arms around him. "I love you, Carlos."

"I love you too..."


	13. Voicemail

**Timeline split: In which Carlos did not have his phone in the Desert Otherworld.**

**TW: Body horror, self harm, dark magic/rituals, alcoholism.**

Cecil Palmer sits in the midst of a bloodstone circle, palms upwards on top of his knees, chanting softly as blood flows from his wrists. The same blood he had used to draw the symbols that burn on the floor before him. He's focused, all the energy his body possesses being sent into the circle, fueling the spell. The bloodstones and symbols glow in a faint red.  
Until they don't. The symbols blacken first, and then the stone, and the resulting backfeed of energy produces a shockwave that sends Cecil sprawling on to his back.  
His head pounding, Cecil slowly sits up. "No..." he groans. "No. No no no no no!" His voice raises with each repetition of the word until he's screaming in frustration at the blackened circle, and the still bleeding cuts on his arms. Had the spell been successful, the symbols would have faded, and the cuts would have healed. But the spell had failed, for the fourth time today. Cecil was growing dizzy from the blood loss.  
However, the blood loss was currently the least of his concerns as tears burned in his eyes. He pulled at his hair in frustrated rage, a sob escaping him as he looked at the burnt out circles on his bedroom floor. Portal magic was complicated, sure, but Cecil was damn near an expert at bloodstone magic, and such a thing should not have been so hard for him. And yet, every attempt to break through into that accursed otherworld has failed. Four attempts today, twenty-six attempts in total this week.   
Weak and still crying, Cecil pushes himself up off the floor. He's struggling, disoriented and hurting, but none of it matters. He manages to get to the bathroom, and bandage up his arms again. To prevent having multiple scars, he's just kept re-opening the same wounds. A heavy sigh escapes him. He doesn't even bother cleaning up the blood once he's stopped the bleeding. He just staggers into the living room and collapses on the couch.  
He wants to drink. He wants to so badly. The bottle was under the sink, as if hiding it would change anything, and he longed for it. Drink to numb the pain. Drink to forget. But he knows that he can't. Drinking after losing so much blood would likely... well, he wasn't completely sure what it would do, but he knew it would probably be really bad. The last thing he wanted was to die before seeing his sweet, beautiful Carlos again.   
It had been one year, one entire, horrible, painful year since the Old Oak Doors had taken his Carlos away. In that time, Cecil had alternated between any spell he could think of to get through to the Otherworld his former intern Dana had once been trapped in, and drinking himself into sweet oblivion. Portals, tracking, summoning, none of the spells brought his Carlos back. Blackened ritual circles covered his floors. Wine, vodka, whiskey, none of the alcohol was enough to numb the horrible pain in his heart. Empty bottles also covered his floors.   
His eyes went to the kitchen table. Upon the table sat three objects that Cecil viewed with such reverence that one might think they were sacred. The first was a spoon. The second was a coffee cup. The third was a cell phone, plugged in to a charger, plugged in to the wall. Cecil never touched these objects, for he felt as if to touch them would destroy them, and their meaning. They were now coated in dust. The last things Carlos had touched before the Old Oak Doors had taken him, when he'd come over for coffee and forgotten his phone.  
Cecil called the phone sometimes, even though it was set to silent. He didn't call it to hear it ring. He called it to hear the voicemail message. Carlos' soft, beautiful voice. How many times had he called, over and over and over, whilst bawling over the few photographs he had of the love of his life? He had stopped counting long ago.  
Carlos' voicemail inbox had been empty when he'd been taken away, and so Cecil often hung up before hearing the beep that implied he should leave a message, a fear in his heart that one day the box would be filled, and he would lose his Carlos' voice forever. But sometimes, on the worst nights, he would leave a message. He did that tonight.   
"_Hey, you've reached Carlos. If you're hearing this, I'm probably in the middle of something. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you when I can. Thank you."  
_"Hey, Carlos... it's... it's been one year since you went through that door. That awful, awful door that took you from me... and I know you can't hear me, but maybe... I don't know. Talking helps. I don't talk much to anyone anymore, outside of my broadcasts. I guess what I should be saying is as of late I refuse to talk to anyone who can talk back. I hate to see-" He chokes, swallowing back a sob. "I hate the pity in their eyes, Carlos. I see it even when I'm walking between home and the station... I... I can't eat... can't sleep... can't do much other than drink and try to bring you back. Or try to join you. But the Secret Police know my intentions and have made efforts to keep me away from the dog park, and I don't know for sure that that would work anyway... I don't know why my spells all fail... It's certainly not for lack of blood. Maybe I need something more powerful? Something with a higher sacrifice? I don't know. I don't know anything anymore, except that I can't go on like this. I... I love you..." His hands shaking, Cecil ends the call, and then breaks down bawling all over again.  
His own words linger in his mind. A stronger spell with a higher sacrifice? How often had he considered that? So many, many times. But he hadn't dared. He'd lacked the willpower. But now... one year later, all the standard spells were failing, and Cecil was desperate.   
And so he went to his bookshelf, and he consulted uncaring pages that willingly reminded him of the information he needed to destroy himself.  
The Timeseer spell was tempting. A spell that would allow him to see fractures in the timeline. But the thought of another timeline, in which another version of him had another version of Carlos, made him nauseated. He didn't want some other Carlos. He wanted his own. But there wasn't anything new for him to try. He had exhausted every spell for portals, dimension-hopping, summoning, seeking, and tracking.  
And then, a dark thought flickered across Cecil's mind. Maybe the question wasn't if there was another spell to try. Maybe the question was why the spells didn't work. Maybe his precious, precious Carlos had... had perished?  
The more Cecil thought about it, the more he was sure. It was one thing for one spell to fail, but all of them? Every single desperate spell over the course of a year? It was the only answer.  
And it was at that moment that Cecil fell off the razor's edge of desperate hope, and into the darkest abyss of the most horrible despair he had ever felt in his life.  
Cecil broke. He screamed until his throat was raw, and cried until his eyes burned and no more tears would come. He tore his hair out in clumps and wailed and slammed his head against the wall and clawed at his arms. His useless blood stained his hands.  
He wasn't sure how much time passed before he came out of his self-destructive fit with a pounding headache, an even worse pain in his heart, and a single, clear thought.  
Necromancy.  
In the last clear spot, Cecil created another bloodstone circle. This one with the appropriate symbols for a full-scale no body reanimation. A feat of magic that would force a lost soul to take a physical form. Normally, Cecil would not have dared to attempt a ritual, especially one so complicated, when he already felt so drained, but for this one, it didn't matter. This spell was ancient, and forbidden, and came at a simple cost. A life for a life. Earlier, he had thought that he would hate to die before seeing his Carlos again, but now he knew that seeing him again was no longer an option. There was only one option. Live on without his Carlos, or let his Carlos live on without him. It was an easy choice.  
And so he began to chant in a voice hoarse from crying. As the words of the forbidden spell crossed his lips, his third eye began to burn. Cecil gave it everything he had. Necromancy was one spell that simply couldn't backfire. It always worked.  
But then his third eye began to bleed, followed shortly by his normal eyes, and Cecil knows that something is horribly, horribly wrong. He breaks off from his chant in a scream of agony as the tattoos of protective runes on his arms also begin to burn and bleed. His vision goes blurry, and then black as he's hit with a blast so powerful that not even Huntokar herself could save him. In a single, horrifying moment, he understood his grave mistake. Carlos was not dead. And Cecil would likely die anyway.

It was in the middle of his third year trapped in that endless, bright desert that Carlos the scientist finally found his way home. He had first found the wall, and then he had walked for so very, very long, and now, at long last, he had found it. A familiar gate. He was on the wrong side of it, in what Night Vale would consider the "dog park".   
He had expected a challenge, but it was not to be. All it took was a simple push, and suddenly Carlos found himself back in the familiar city as a beautiful sunset tinted the sky a beautiful crimson. Stepping out of the Otherworld prison, Carlos stumbled, and fell to his knees on the sidewalk. Sidewalk! Finally, something under him that wasn't sand! He felt as if he might cry from the sheer joy of the moment, and before long he was, in fact, crying.  
Once he regained his composure and got to his feet, Carlos only had one thought. Cecil. Usually at this time of day, he would be wrapping up his show. He could still remember the way to the radio station, and he was sprinting before he'd even fully acknowledged the thought, chaotically dodging other pedestrians and traffic and anything else in his way.  
The only thing that made him falter was the radio station itself. The windows were dark, and... were those bars?! A fear he didn't understand tore through Carlos' heart and he pushed open the door.  
The inside of the Night Vale community radio station hadn't changed, Carlos noted as he turned on the lights. The floors were still a light brown wood. The walls were still purple. . Station Management's office door sat closed near the entrance, and at the end of the little entrance hall the station opened into a room. This room served as a waiting area for any guests to the station, and was decorated with a table, a chair, a couch, and the community bulletin.   
And on the left wall was the recording booth, separated from the room by both a door and a large window. That was the point where things were different than Carlos remembered. The recording booth, a room that he largely considered to be Cecil's, looked mostly the same. Recording equipment, the desk, the on air sign, currently unlit... but that was where the similarities ended. Cecil's comfortable office chair had been replaced by a wheelchair. Not the kind one might see in a hospital, but the kind that's customized to its user.  
Sitting in the wheelchair was a sickly skeleton of a man, with long black hair. He looked so hopelessly sad, and Carlos couldn't help but pity him. But then he met his eyes., white, scarred over eyes, and realized that those eyes had once changed colours.  
Carlos felt his heart shatter as a whispered name escaped his lips. "Cecil..."  
Trembling, Carlos forced himself forward, to the door of the booth, and was almost surprised to find that it opened. It took all his willpower to enter the room.  
"Hello?" Cecil's voice was more gravelly than Carlos remembered, but it was still familiar. "I know you're there. Who is it? You don't sound like Dana..."  
"C-Cecil... Cecil, it's me."  
Cecil's expression lit up with shock, and then horror. "No... No no no I'm dreaming again... I must be dreaming again... or imagining... fuck, where's my phone?!"  
"No." His heart aching, Carlos closed the gap between them, and ever so gently touched Cecil's hand. "No, Cecil... it's me. I'm really here."  
Cecil gasped softly, tears filling his unseeing eyes. "Carlos... oh, Carlos... you're here... how are you here?! It's been so long..."  
"I did everything I could to get out of that place. It took me so long to figure it out, and then to find my way, and then it was such a far way to go, and... but that's no excuse, is it?"  
Cecil sniffled. "All my spells... I couldn't find you... Couldn't bring you back..."  
Carlos sighed heavily. He hadn't expected reuniting with Cecil to be so bittersweet. "All the spells Kevin tried in that place failed too. I think it's sort of a... a magic dead zone."  
Cecil winced at the word dead, and Carlos felt yet another ache in his heart.  
"Cecil... what happened to you?"  
Cecil took a slow breath, and told Carlos his story between sobs. His year of desperate attempts. The conclusion he'd come to, and the revival spell, and his horrible mistake. He cried so horribly as he described the blast, and showed Carlos where his tattoos had turned to scars.  
But that wasn't the end. After that was the year Cecil had spent in the Night Vale asylum, blind, spirit broken, clawing his way back to sanity, and Carlos began to cry too. The easiest year to discuss was the most recent one, in which Cecil had been living with Abby, and Steve, and Janice, who had helped him cope with the permanent damage done to his body by the spell gone wrong.  
"But it's not so bad that I can't see," Cecil concluded. "I don't have to look at the pity in their expressions, like I used to..."  
"Oh, Cecil... I did this to you... Cecil, I'm so sorry..."  
Cecil reached out, and Carlos immediately understood the gesture. He wrapped his arms around Cecil, and held him close, and only then did his aching heart begin to heal a little.  
"I love you," Cecil whimpered. "I never stopped."  
"I love you too," Carlos told him, feeling as though he'd never meant the words more.  
Nothing would ever be the same again, but somehow, through the pain, the two lovers knew that somehow, everything would be alright.


End file.
